Barrett May Be Pivotal in Navajo Nation Water Dispute With US (1)

Justice Amy Coney Barrett could be the decisive vote in a US Supreme Court dispute about what steps, if any, the federal government must take to help the Navajo Nation deal with a southwest water crisis.

Eight justices at argument on Monday appeared evenly divided in the dispute over the Colorado River with conservative Neil Gorsuch and his liberal colleagues lining up together.

Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Gorsuch, and Ketanji Brown Jackson leaned toward tribal water access claims. Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh appeared to side with the Biden administration, which is backed by ...